The Euphrates Valley: Syria, Kurdistan, et cetera

Description

This early 20th-century British map depicts the Euphrates Valley, a region that includes parts of present-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Also shown is the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The map indicates railroads, both existing and projected, and the route of submarine telegraph cables. The vilayets (administrative provinces) of the Ottoman Empire in Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine and southern Anatolia are marked by red lines. A dotted line running across Persia (present-day Iran) from west to east is labeled “Southern limit of Russian sphere.” Under the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, concluded at a time when the ruling Qajar dynasty was extremely weak, Russia and the British Empire exercised a condominium over Persia, with delimited spheres of influence. Topographical relief is shown by hachures, especially in the top part of the map, which shows the rise in elevation from the Euphrates Valley to the Anatolian Plateau. The map is by Edward Stanford Ltd., a London map seller and publishing house established in 1853 by Edward Stanford (1827–1904), known for its London shop that catered to famous explorers and political figures.